These Responses to Serena Williams's Pregnancy Are Sexist as Hell

Serena Williams has shown time and time again she is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Not one of the greatest female athletes — simply one of the greatest: She holds the record for winning more singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles combined than any other professional tennis player. This past January, the 35-year-old star picked up her record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open, further cementing her awe-inspiring legacy.

And when Williams announced she was 20 weeks pregnant via Snapchat last Wednesday, it became clear Williams had won the title while pregnant, sparking even more public admiration for the star. Fans have taken to social media to express their excitement for Williams and her fiancé Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit — but there's another side to the reaction to Williams' pregnancy that reeks of sexism.

Both disappointingly and unsurprisingly, the athlete’s pregnancy announcement has ignited speculation about whether Williams has a post-baby future in tennis, a sport she has dominated for decades. Headlines emerged questioning whether having a child will derail Williams’ physical performance and whether she’ll even have the desire to play at a top level after giving birth. "Serena Williams Pregnant: Will Baby Slow Down Her Tennis Career?" Hollywood Life speculated, while Tennis magazine asked, "Are Serena’s playing days over?" — which it called an "obligatory follow-up question" to Williams’ pregnancy announcement. "The real question relates to motivation," the Telegraphopined. "How much will she want her career back?"

Why does Williams’ pregnancy call for “obligatory” questions about her tennis career? Williams is about 20 weeks pregnant, and there is no public information about how her pregnancy has affected or will affect her body. Pregnancy impacts everyone differently, and we have no idea how it will impact Williams'. Unfortunately, Williams is no stranger to intrusive public discussion, especially about her body. As a Black woman, she has been faced with bigoted attacks throughout her career, as has her phenomenally talented, Olympic-gold-winning sister, Venus Williams. They've both persevered through years of racist and sexist slurs and objectifying remarks. If women's bodies are up for public scrutiny and criticism, Black women's bodies are even more so.

Perhaps even more frustrating than questions about Williams' physical abilities are doubts about her desire and motivation to play after having a baby. Williams’ publicist has confirmed the tennis superstar does indeed plan to return to the circuit in 2018, and on Monday, Williams posted an Instagram message to her future child that read in part, "I can't wait for you to join the players box next year."

The doubt that Williams will want to return to tennis is rooted in the sexist belief that being a mother and being career-driven are mutually exclusive. Male athletes aren't questioned about their desire to continue to play a sport after becoming a parent — can you imagine a reporter asking Lebron James if he’d have the motivation to remain a star basketball player after becoming a father? It would be unheard of.

Ultimately, the idea that having a baby will topple Williams' career is rooted in sexist assumptions about moms. Given Williams' track record and intentions, for now it's safe to conclude that she'll continue her career — and time to stop assuming that pregnancy spells the end of it.